Invitations and reminders for graduation were sent out in April, and the deadline to register has now passed. We’re currently in the middle of preparations for the ceremonies and look forward to seeing you there.

Students who have registered to graduate

If you have registered to graduate there are a some things you need to do next –

Book your robes. This must be done at least 21 days before your ceremony (17, 18 or 19 June)

Introducing the Alumni Relations Team

The time for graduation is fast approaching, but although you will no longer be a University of Reading student, that doesn’t mean we want to lose touch!For the next stage of your journey, we want to welcome you to our alumni network of over 100,000 former Reading students. To register with this online community, all you need to do is visit our alumni website and sign up. You can also keep in touch by finding us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

What’s in it for me?

Alumni discounts for further study

One-to-one careers advice for a year and networking opportunities

Annual alumni magazine (Connected) and regular e-newsletters

Online global community

Events and reunions

Library, sports park and accommodation discounts

How can I get involved?

Share your experience and give advice to future students

Transform lives by giving to Reading

Become an international volunteer or join a network

Provide a valuable work placement or employment opportunity for students

Participate in events

Look out for us at your graduation day where we will be offering some fun ways for you to commemorate the day with your classmates and family – more details soon…

Nominate a University of Reading student who has made a contribution to the local community.

Each year the University’s Student Community Awards recognise the brilliant efforts of students who give up their spare time to help others. These unsung heroes help with local groups, organise fundraising activities for charities or carry out acts of kindness and generosity just because they see a need and want to help.

Nominations close on Wednesday 29 April 2015. (Nominations are usually made without the student’s knowledge.)

Further information

For students beginning Part 2, 3 or 4 in September 2015 the deadline to choose your optional modules for the next Part of your degree programme is Friday 1 May (noon).Please go to the RISISweb Portal to make your optional module selection.

All students should, prior to making their choice, discuss their options with their personal tutor.

You are required to have 120 credits worth of modules for the next Part of your degree programme. Any student who fails to complete their selection by the deadline will then have to wait until Welcome Week module surgery opens on Tuesday 22 September, by which time some modules may be full.

The University Quiet Period runs from 18:00 on Sunday 20 April to 18:00 on Friday 12 June. The Quiet Period is a time during the summer term each year when the University and RUSU actively encourages students to be mindful of the noise regulations set out in Section 5 of your Hall handbook. The bulk of University exams take place during the summer term and the Quiet Period is enforced in order to ensure that the disturbance of students and residents in the local community is kept to a minimum.

What’s involved?

Throughout this period, when students are involved in revision and examinations, Halls’ normal noise regulations are strictly enforced. (See your Hall Handbook for further details)

Don’t make noise yourself…and don’t put up with anyone else being noisy

Offenders against the noise regulations may expect to be fined, in proportion to the seriousness of the disturbance, the time of the disturbance and their previous history. Other disciplinary sanctions may also be applied. Persistent offenders may be required to move out of the Hall.

Simple things you can do to help

Here are some steps to help ensure peace and harmony over the exams period:

Don’t make noise in communal areas in halls (such as kitchens)

Keep quieter when on your way to and from venues

When you get back home and want to continue the party, be considerate of your neighbours

If your neighbours knock and ask you to keep the noise down please don’t dismiss them

If you’re planning a house party, tell your neighbours and agree on a reasonable time for the party to end

During exam period – remember there are many students that will have exams both before and after you so please be considerate when you’re lucky enough to not have any exams!

We’re keen to make sure postgraduate students have the best possible experience while studying at the University of Reading. To do that we need to know what you think we are doing well and what we can do better. To this end we regularly take part in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) and Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES). If you’re thinking about taking part this year, these are the answers to some of the questions students often ask:

What are they?

They are national surveys of postgraduate students inviting them to comment on their course and experience. The questionnaires take around 20 minutes to complete.

Why should I take part?

The surveys are your chance to tell us your thoughts about your programme and studies. It is also your opportunity to tell us what you have liked about your time here and things you feel could be improved.

What happens to the results?

Your feedback is important. Over 100 universities and colleges take part. This means we can compare your experience against similar postgraduates at other institutions to see if we are supporting your learning as we should. We use the findings to improve our courses and the learning experience for future students.

What do they cover?

The survey will ask you about things like: motivations for taking the programme, depth of learning, organisation, and professional development. It will also include a few extra questions about issues that are particularly relevant to us and to students at Reading.

What do I need to do?

You will receive an email with a link to the questionnaire relevant to you during the week commencing 13 April. Simply click on the link and enter in your username and password (also in the email) and complete the online form.

Deadlines

The Postgraduate Research Experience Survey closes on 14 May.

The deadline for the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey has been extended to 18 June.

Are they anonymous?

The surveys are anonymous and the University will not be able to identify you. However, you are provided with a username to ensure that only registered students can complete the surveys.

Want to know more?

If you are unsure about anything to do with the survey, or have any difficulty, please see your course or programme leader, or contact us the following contacts:

Over the past year we’ve been working on a project to revamp our websites and other digital products. Today sees the launch of the beta version of the first of these products – Essentials.

Essentials gives you a new route into all the information that you could want as a student. It gives you a new way to navigate through the complex and detailed information aimed at students. Essentials has a bright new design and looks great on mobiles and laptops.

An exciting element of the new Essentials site is the fact that we can now deliver seasonally-relevant information at important points in the year. With the launch you will see information on Exams and Careers as you prepare for the summer term.

Whilst we’ve improved the navigation of the student information we’ve not yet addressed the information itself. As you delve into the site you will notice that you end up in old parts of the University’s website. As the project progresses, and Essentials matures we will be editing and reworking all of the student-facing information.

How to get there

What’s coming?

Essentials – final release

All the key information for students will be brought under the Essentials banner. It will be edited and put into new mobile-friendly templates so you can access it easily and on the move. The bulk of this work will take place over the summer vacation in time for your return in September.

Me@Reading

To complement the Essentials site we will also be launching a personalised student space called Me@Reading. In this space you will be able to find reminders, news and events that are relevant to you. You will also be able to see your inbox and timetable and get access to key systems (including Blackboard). All of this will be made possible through the implementation of student single sign-on.

In later versions of Me@Reading you will be able to track your academic progress and use new careers planning tools. The first release of Me@Reading should be here in September.

How can you help?

You can provide feedback on Essentials, especially around how we’ve grouped information and whether we’ve missed any key information. Let us know if you liked the Exams and Careers information, and what you would like to see as our next ‘key info’ campaign.

Please leave any comments or suggestions below.

If you’re signed up for the RED Award there will be the chance to attend workshops and focus groups on all the upcoming products – keep an eye on your inbox!

For the duration of the summer examinations period selected teaching rooms have been converted into extra study areas for any student to use. Most rooms are available from 13 April to 22 May 2015, with some available until 12 June.